Agricultural devices, systems, and methods for determining soil and seed characteristics and analyzing the same

ABSTRACT

Agricultural seed planting systems include a processing unit, a frame, a furrow opener coupled to the frame for opening a furrow in soil, and a sensor in communication with the processing unit and adapted to sense a characteristic associated with seed planting. The sensor may generate a signal associated with the sensed characteristic and the processing unit may receive the signal. In some aspects, the sensed characteristic may be either a soil characteristic or a seed characteristic. Information associated with the sensed characteristic can be saved in memory for future use and to assist with more effective planting in the future.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation Application of U.S. Ser. No.14/566,790, filed Dec. 11, 2014, which is a Continuation Application ofU.S. Ser. No. 13/458,012 filed Apr. 27, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No.8,935,986, issued on Jan. 20, 2015, which claims priority under 35U.S.C. § 119 to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 61/479,540,filed Apr. 27, 2011, 61/479,537, filed Apr. 27, 2011, and 61/479,543,filed Apr. 27, 2011, all of which are incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to agricultural devices,systems, and methods and, more particularly, to agricultural devices,systems, and methods for determining soil and seed characteristics andanalyzing the same.

BACKGROUND

Agricultural planters for planting seeds have been utilized for years toplant seeds in soil. Such planters include a plurality of row units,each of which is adapted to plant a row of seeds in the soil. Each rowunit opens a furrow, singulates seeds into the furrow, and closes thefurrow over the seeds. Some conventional row units include a sensor forsensing the seeds in a furrow. Such conventional row units sense thepresence of the seeds in an effort to identify individual seeds anddetermine positioning of the seeds in the furrow. Tracking seeds in thisfashion can be inaccurate.

SUMMARY

In one example, a system for determining at least one soilcharacteristic and analyzing the same is provided.

In another example, a system for determining at least one seedcharacteristic and analyzing the same is provided.

In yet another example, a system for determining at least one soilcharacteristic and at least one seed characteristic and analyzing thesame is provided.

In still another example, a system for determining one or both of a soilcharacteristic and a seed characteristic is provided and includes atractor, an agricultural device pulled by the tractor, and a sensorcoupled to the agricultural device for sensing the one or both of thesoil characteristic and the seed characteristic.

In a further example, a method for determining at least one soilcharacteristic and analyzing the same is provided.

In yet a further example, a method for determining at least one seedcharacteristic and analyzing the same is provided.

In still a further example, a method for determining at least one soilcharacteristic and at least one seed characteristic and analyzing thesame is provided.

In another example, a method for determining one or both of a soilcharacteristic and a seed characteristic is provided and includesproviding a tractor, providing an agricultural device pulled by thetractor, and providing a sensor coupled to the agricultural device forsensing the one or both of the soil characteristic and the seedcharacteristic.

In yet another example, an agricultural seed planting system is providedand includes a processing unit, a frame, a furrow opener coupled to theframe for opening a furrow in soil, and a sensor in communication withthe processing unit and adapted to sense a characteristic associatedwith seed planting, wherein the sensor generates a signal associatedwith the sensed characteristic and the processing unit receives thesignal.

In still another example, an agricultural seed planting system isprovided and includes a processing unit, a frame, a furrow openercoupled to the frame for opening a furrow in soil, and a sensor incommunication with the processing unit and adapted to sense a soilmoisture, wherein the sensor generates a signal associated with the soilmoisture and the processing unit receives the signal.

In a further example, an agricultural seed planting system is providedand includes a processing unit, a frame, a furrow opener coupled to theframe for opening a furrow in soil, a first sensor for sensing a firstcharacteristic associated with seed planting, wherein the first sensorgenerates a first signal associated with the sensed first characteristicand the processing unit receives the first signal, and a second sensoradapted to sense a second characteristic associated with seed planting,wherein the second sensor generates a second signal associated with thesensed second characteristic and the processing unit receives the secondsignal.

In yet a further example, a method of planting seeds with anagricultural planter is provided. The method including opening a furrowwith a furrow opener, placing a seed in the furrow with the agriculturalplanter, sensing a characteristic of seed planting with a sensor,generating a signal associated with the sensed characteristic with thesensor, communicating the signal to a processing unit, storinginformation associated with the signal in a memory, retrieving theinformation from the memory subsequent to storing the information, andutilizing the retrieved information prior to placing a second seed in afurrow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary system for determining soil and seedcharacteristics;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of an exemplary agricultural row unit ofthe system shown in FIG. 1, the row unit includes an exemplary sensorfor sensing one or more soil and/or seed characteristics;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of an exemplary sensor, an exemplaryprotective member, exemplary electrical wiring, and exemplary pneumatictubing of the system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of another exemplary system for determining soil andseed characteristics; and

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a portion of a further exemplary system fordetermining soil and seed characteristics.

Before any independent features and embodiments of the invention areexplained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of the construction and thearrangement of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in variousways. Also, it is understood that the phraseology and terminology usedherein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded aslimiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The contents of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/457,815, filed Apr.27, 2012, entitled “DOWN AND/OR UP FORCE ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM”, and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/457,577, filed Apr. 27, 2012, entitled“REMOTE ADJUSTMENT OF A ROW UNIT OF AN AGRICULTURAL DEVICE”, are bothincorporated herein by reference.

Soil and seed characteristics are important when planting a crop and mayhave a direct impact on the efficiency of the planting process andultimately on the crop yield. Some of such soil characteristics include,but are not limited to, soil temperature, soil moisture, soil type, soilnutrients, etc. Soil temperature directly impacts germination of theseeds planted in the soil. If the soil temperature is not at asufficient level, the seeds will not germinate. In addition, the soilmust be at an appropriate temperature for a sufficient period of time inorder for the seeds to germinate. Regarding soil moisture, seeds need tobe enveloped within soil having an adequate moisture content in orderfor germination to occur. Soil moisture content may vary at differentsoil depths and placement of the seeds into optimum soil moistureconditions will promote optimum and uniform growth of the plantsresulting from the seeds and ultimately maximize crop yield. Asindicated above, seed characteristics may also be important in theplanting process. Seed characteristics such as, for example, seedspacing, seed location within the furrow, seed temperature, and avariety of other seed characteristics may be important to the plantingprocess. Information relating to soil and seed characteristics may begathered, stored, and analyzed for future planting processes. Suchhistorical information may be used by farmers in future to potentiallyrealize higher crop yields.

With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary system 20 for determining soiland seed characteristics and analyzing the same is illustrated. Thesystem 20 is capable of determining a wide variety of soil and seedcharacteristics and analyzing the soil and seed characteristics tooptimize crop yield. In some exemplary embodiments, the system 20 iscapable of determining and analyzing soil temperatures. In otherexemplary embodiments, the system 20 is capable of determining andanalyzing soil moistures. In further exemplary embodiments, the system20 is capable of determining the presence and location of seeds in thesoil and analyzing the same. In still further embodiments, the system 20is capable of determining and analyzing more than one soil and/or seedcharacteristic. For example, the system 20 may determine and analyzesoil temperature and soil moisture. It should be understood that thesystem 20 is capable of determining and analyzing any number and anycombination of soil and seed characteristics and still be within theintended spirit and scope of the present invention.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the exemplary system 20 includes atractor 24 and an agricultural device 28 used for the planting process.The agricultural device 28 may be a wide variety of differentagricultural devices used for the planting process and all of suchplanting devices are intended to be within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, theagricultural device is a planter 28 including a plurality of row units32, each of which is capable of opening the soil by creating a furrow 36(see FIGS. 2 and 3), planting seeds 40 (see FIG. 2) in the furrow 36,and covering the planted seeds 40 with soil by closing the furrow 36.The tractor 24 couples to the planter 28 and is adapted to pull theplanter 28 through a field to plant a crop. In the illustrated exemplaryembodiment, the tractor 24 includes a processing unit 44, a userinterface 48, memory 52, a pneumatic source 56, an electrical powersource 60, and a global positioning system (GPS) 64. The tractor 24 iscapable of including other mechanical and electrical components and allof such components are intended to be within the intended spirit andscope of the present invention.

The processing unit 44 performs the necessary processing to achieve thedesired functionality of the system 20 (described in more detail below)and communicates with the input devices, output devices, memory, thetractor and the agricultural device (e.g., the planter) as necessary toachieve such desired functionality. The user interface 48 is anexemplary output device that may include audio and video capabilities toenable a user to hear and see information. The tractor electrical powersource 60 may provide the components of the tractor 24 requiringelectrical power with sufficient electrical power to enable operation ofthe electrical components. Similarly, the tractor pneumatic source 56may provide the components of the tractor 24 requiring pneumatics withsufficient pneumatics to enable operation of the pneumatic components.The GPS 64 may be a conventional GPS system and may communicate with theprocessing unit 44 to achieve desired functionality of the system 20(described in more detail below).

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the planter 28 includes a pluralityof row units 32, an electrical power source 68, and a pneumatic source72. The planter 28 may include any number of row units 32, which isexemplified in FIG. 1 by the annotations: Row Unit #1; Row Unit #2; . .. ; Row Unit #n. The row units 32 may be substantially the same inconstruction and functionality. In some exemplary embodiments, theplanter electrical power source 68 may provide the components of theplanter 28 requiring electrical power with sufficient electrical powerto enable operation of the electrical components. Similarly, in someexemplary embodiments, the planter pneumatic source 72 may provide thecomponents of the planter 28 requiring pneumatics with sufficientpneumatics to enable operation of the pneumatic components.

In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, each row unit 32 includes a rowunit sensor 76. In other exemplary embodiments, each row unit 32 mayinclude any number of row unit sensors 76 (see FIG. 5). Returning to theillustrated embodiment, the sensors 76 are capable of sensing a widevariety of soil and seed characteristics such as, for example, soiltemperature, soil moisture, seed presence, seed temperature, etc. Insome exemplary embodiments, the sensors 76 on the various row units 32may sense the same characteristic. In other exemplary embodiments, thesensors 76 on the various row units 32 may sense differentcharacteristics. The sensors 76 may require electrical power to operateand such electrical power may originate from a variety of differentsources. In some exemplary embodiments, the sensors 76 may beelectrically powered by the planter electrical power source 68. In otherexemplary embodiments, the sensors 76 may be electrically powered by thetractor electrical power source 60.

The above described electrical power sources 60, 68 may be a widevariety of types of electrical power sources and all of such variouselectrical power sources are intended to be within the intended spiritand scope of the present invention. For example, an electrical powersource may comprise any one of the following: an alternator coupled witha hydraulic motor; an alternator coupled mechanically to an engine ofthe tractor; an alternator coupled with a ground drive; an alternatorcoupled with an electric motor; a battery pack; or any other appropriateelectrical source.

While the system 20 is utilized during the planting process, dust, dirt,and other debris may become airborne due to the turbulence created bythe tractor 24 and planter 28. If debris accumulates on the sensors 76,the efficacy of the sensors 76 may deteriorate. The system 20 mayinclude a protective member 80 (see FIG. 3) coupled to each sensor 76 toinhibit accumulation of debris on the sensors 76. The protective member80 may include an air inlet 84 through which pressurized air enters theprotective member 80. The pressurized air blows past the sensor 76 todislodge any accumulated debris and to inhibit debris from settling onthe sensor 76. The pressurized air exits the protective member 80through an open bottom end 88 of the protective member 80. Blowing ofpressurized air out through the open bottom end 88 inhibits debris fromrising up into the protective member 80 and accessing the sensor 76. Insome exemplary embodiments, the air may be pressurized at about 5 poundsper square inch (psi). In other exemplary embodiments, the air may bepressurized within a range of about 0.5 psi to about 250 psi.

The pressurized air may originate from a variety of different sources.In some exemplary embodiments, the pressurized air may originate fromthe planter pneumatic source 72. In other exemplary embodiments, thepressurized air may originate from the tractor pneumatic source 56.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an exemplary row unit 32 and an exemplarysensor 76 of the system 20 are illustrated. The exemplary illustratedembodiments of the row unit 32 and the sensor 76 are not intended to belimiting. The system 20 may include other embodiments of row units 32and sensors 76 and all of such embodiments are intended to be within thespirit and scope of the present invention.

In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the exemplary row unit is aplanter row unit 32, which is capable of planting seeds 40 in the soil.For simplicity, only one planter row unit 32 is illustrated anddescribed herein. However, it should be understood that the exemplaryplanter 28 is capable of having any number of planter row units 32 andsuch numerous row units 32 may be similarly configured and have similarfunctionality to the illustrated and described exemplary planter rowunit 32.

With continued reference to FIG. 2, the illustrated exemplary planterrow unit 32 may be coupled to a frame or toolbar (not shown) of atractor 24 by a coupling 92. The row unit 32 may include a frame 96coupled to the coupling 92, a furrow opener or pair of flat circulardisc blades 100 (only one shown) coupled to the frame 96 to open a seedtrench or furrow 36 in the soil, a pair of depth gauge wheels 104 (onlyone shown behind the disc blade 100) coupled to the frame 96 and locatedadjacent to and slightly to a rear of the blades 100, a seed meter (notshown) which “singulates” seed 40 from a seed hopper (not shown) anddeposits the seed 40, via a seed tube 108, into the furrow 36 formed bythe twin disc opener blades 100, and a pair of spaced apart closingwheels (not shown) coupled to the frame 96 and positioned to followafter the planted seed 40 for breaking down the furrow side walls oneither side of the furrow 36 and covering the seed 40, closing thefurrow 40, and firming the soil over the covered seed 40. The gaugewheels 104 determine, at least in part, the depth of the furrow 36formed by the opener blades 100.

The sensor 76 may be coupled to the row unit 32 in any manner and at anylocation. For example, the sensor 76 may be fastened, welded, adhered,bonded, unitarily formed with, or any other manner of coupling, to therow unit 32. Additionally, the sensor 76 may be coupled to a variety ofdifferent components of the row unit 32 such as, for example, the frame96, the seed tube 108, or any other portion of the row unit 32. Further,the sensor 76 may be coupled to the row unit 32 at a variety ofdifferent locations such as, for example, a location following the seedtube 108, a location preceding the seed tube 108, a location spacedrelatively high above the soil, a location spaced relatively close tothe soil, a location between the opening blades 100 and the closingwheels, or any other location relative to the row unit 32. Further yet,the sensor 76 may be directed in a variety of different directions. Forexample, the sensor 76 may be directed straight downward, angledforward, angled rearward, or any other of a large variety oforientations. In some exemplary embodiments, the type of characteristicbeing sensed by the sensor 76 may determine the manner in which thesensor 76 is coupled, the component to which the sensor 76 is coupled,the location of the sensor 76 relative to the row unit 32, and thesensor direction.

In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the sensor 76 is coupled to theframe 96 at a location between the opening blades 100 and the closingwheels, and is directed straight downward toward the soil. With thisconfiguration, the sensor 76 is directed downward into a bottom of theopen furrow 36 where the seeds 40 are at rest.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the exemplary sensor 76 shown in FIG. 2 isshown with an exemplary protective member 80, exemplary electrical wires112, and exemplary pneumatic piping 116. The exemplary illustratedembodiments of the protective member 80, electrical wiring 112, andpneumatic piping 116 are not intended to be limiting. The system 20 mayinclude other embodiments of protective members, electrical wiring, andpneumatic piping and all of such embodiments are intended to be withinthe spirit and scope of the present invention.

In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the protective member 80 has ahollow tube shape with an open top end 120 and an open bottom end 88. Abottom of the sensor 76 is positioned within and secured to the open topend 120 of the protective member 80 and the open bottom end 88 isaligned with the sensor 76 and directed downward toward the soil suchthat the protective member 80 does not impede the sensing capabilitiesof the sensor 76. The protective member 80 of the illustrated exemplaryembodiment extends downward from the sensor 76 to a position disposedjust above the soil. Positioning the open bottom end 88 relatively closeto the soil promotes accurate readings by the sensor 76 by limiting thefield of view or measured zone of the sensor 76. In this manner, soil orother distractions outside of the sensor's field of view do not bias thesensor readings. Alternatively, the protective member 80 may extenddownward from the sensor 76 to a position closer to or further from thesoil. The protective member 80 may also have a variety of differentcross-sectional shapes, which may be defined along a plane perpendicularto a longitudinal extent of the protective member 80. For example, theprotective member 80 may have a circular, triangular, square,rectangular, or any other polygonal, arcuately perimetered, orcombination of straight and arcuately perimetered shape. In theillustrated exemplary embodiment, the pressurized air inlet 84 islocated near a top of the protective member 80 and near the bottom endof the sensor 76. With this configuration of the pressurized air inlet84, pressurized air, upon entering the protective member 80, immediatelyblows across the bottom of the sensor 76 and then downward toward theopen bottom end 88 of the protective member 80 where the pressurized airexits the protective member 80. The pressurized air may dislodge debristhat may have accumulated on the bottom end of the sensor 76 and exitsthe open bottom end 88 of the protective member 80 at a sufficientpressure to inhibit debris from entering the bottom end 88 of theprotective member 80 and accessing the sensor 76. In other exemplaryembodiments, the pressurized air inlet 84 may be defined in theprotective member 80 at any other location.

Depending on the electrical power source relied upon to provideelectrical power to the sensors 76, the electrical wiring 112 will haveone end coupled to the sensor 76 and the other end coupled to thedesired electrical power source (e.g., the planter electrical powersource 68 or the tractor electrical power source 60). Similarly,depending on the pneumatic source relied upon to provide pressurized airto the inlet 84 of the protective member 80, the pneumatic piping 116will have one end coupled to the protective member 80 and the other endcoupled to the desired pneumatic source (e.g., the planter pneumaticsource 72 or the tractor pneumatic source 56).

The following description includes several exemplary operations of thesystem 20. These exemplary operations are provided to assist withunderstanding of the system 20 of the present invention and are notintended to be limiting. The system 20 of the present invention iscapable of operating in a wide variety of other manners and all of suchoperations are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

In some exemplary embodiments, the system 20 is capable of determiningthe temperature of the soil. In such exemplary embodiments, the sensor76 may be any type of sensor capable of sensing the temperature of thesoil. Exemplary temperature sensors may include, but are not limited to,infrared sensors, laser sensors, thermal imagers, etc. It may bedesirable to know the temperature of the soil at the time of planting inorder to ensure the soil temperature is at the appropriate level tofacilitate germination of the seeds 40. It may also be desirable toassociate the soil temperature readings with a GPS position sotemperature effects on crop yield may be analyzed following harvest toaid in planting decisions for the following seasons.

In such exemplary embodiments, the processing unit 44 communicates withthe row unit sensors 76 and instructs each sensor 76 to take a soiltemperature reading. The soil temperature readings taken by the sensors76 are communicated to the processing unit 44. The processing unit 44may also assign a GPS position, using the GPS 64, to each soiltemperature reading and store the data pairs of soil temperature and GPSposition in the memory 52 for later retrieval and analysis.Additionally, the processing unit 44 may communicate the soiltemperature readings and the GPS positions to the user interface 48where such information will be displayed for the user to view. In someexemplary embodiments, only the soil temperatures may be displayed onthe user interface 48. The user may or may not alter planting operationsbased on the information displayed on the user interface 48.

In some exemplary embodiments, the system 20 is capable of determiningthe moisture content of the soil. It may be desirable to know themoisture content of the soil at the time of planting in order to ensureplanting of the seeds 40 at a depth having optimum soil moisture content(or at least the best available soil moisture content), which willmaximize crop yield. In such exemplary embodiments, the sensor 76 may beany type of sensor capable of sensing the required characteristics usedto determine the moisture content of the soil. In one exemplaryembodiment, a temperature sensor may be used to sense the temperature ofthe soil and the processing unit 44 may apply necessary algorithms toconvert the soil temperature reading to moisture content of the soil.Exemplary temperature sensors may include, but are not limited to,infrared sensors, laser sensors, infrared imaging devices, etc.Alternative types of sensors may be used to determine the moisturecontent of the soil such as, for example, contact thermocouplethermometers, electrical conductivity sensors, etc. It may be desirableto associate the soil moisture content readings with a GPS position somoisture effects on crop yield may be analyzed following harvest to aidin planting decisions for the following seasons.

In exemplary embodiments where temperature sensors are utilized, theprocessing unit 44 communicates with the row unit sensors 76 andinstructs each sensor 76 to take a soil temperature reading. The soiltemperature readings taken by the sensors 76 are communicated to theprocessing unit 44 and the processing unit 44 may apply an algorithm toconvert the soil temperature readings to soil moisture content readings.The processing unit 44 may also assign a GPS position, using the GPS 64,to each soil moisture content reading and store the data pairs of soilmoisture content and GPS position in the memory 52 for later retrievaland analysis. Additionally, the processing unit 44 may communicate thesoil moisture content readings and the GPS positions to the userinterface 48 where such information will be displayed for the user toview. In some exemplary embodiments, only the soil moisture content maybe displayed on the user interface 48. The user may or may not alterplanting operations based on the information displayed on the userinterface 48.

In some exemplary embodiments, the system 20 is capable of determiningthe presence and location of seeds 40 in the furrow 36. It may bedesirable to determine the presence and location of the seeds 40 in thefurrow 36 at the time of planting in order to ensure proper spacingbetween seeds 40, proper positioning of seeds 40 within the furrow 36,whether or not a seed 40 was deposited in the furrow 36 by the planterrow unit 32 when it was intended to be deposited, and if adjacent ordouble seeds were deposited in a single location, etc. In such exemplaryembodiments, the sensor 76 may be any type of sensor capable of sensingthe required characteristics used to determine the presence and locationof the seeds 40 in the furrow 36. In one exemplary embodiment, atemperature sensor may be used to sense a temperature differentialbetween the seeds 40 and the soil. Exemplary temperature sensors mayinclude, but are not limited to, infrared sensors, laser sensors,thermal imaging devices, etc. Alternative types of sensors may be usedto determine the presence and location of seeds 40 within a furrow 36such as, for example, visible wavelength imaging sensors, ultrasonicsensors, capacitive sensors, photoelectric sensors, luminescencesensors, contrast sensors, video cameras, color sensors (identify adifference in color between the soil and the seed), laser distancesensors (measures distance to bottom of furrow and measured distancechanges when a seed moves under the sensor), etc. It may be desirable toassociate the location of each seed 40 with a GPS position so seedperformance may be analyzed following harvest to aid in plantingdecisions for the following seasons.

In exemplary embodiments where temperature sensors are utilized todetect the presence and location of seeds 40 within a furrow 36, theprocessing unit 44 communicates with the row unit sensors 76 andinstructs each sensor 76 to take one or more temperature reading(s). Ifthe temperature reading experiences a temperature differential, a seed40 may be present in the measured zone and have a different temperaturethan the surrounding soil. If the temperature reading does not have atemperature differential and instead has a single or constanttemperature reading, then a seed 40 may not be present in the measuredzone and the sensor 76 may be merely measuring the temperature of thesoil. Alternatively, the sensors 76 may be continuously measuringtemperatures of the soil, which will have a first temperature or atemperature within a first range. As the sensor 76 passes over a seed40, the seed 40 may have a second temperature different than thetemperature of the soil and the sensor 76 will measure this secondtemperature. When the sensor measures a second temperature differentthan the soil temperature, the system 20 detects the presence of a seed40. The seed and soil temperature readings taken by the sensors 76 arecommunicated to the processing unit 44, the processing unit 44 mayassign a GPS position, using the GPS 64, to each seed 40 detected by thesensors 76, and the data pairs of detected seeds and seed GPS locationsare stored in the memory 52 for later retrieval and analysis.Additionally, the processing unit 44 may communicate the seed detection,seed spacing, seed location within the furrow, etc., to the userinterface 48 where such information will be displayed for the user toview. Any quantity and any combination of information may be displayedon the user interface 48 for viewing by the user. The user may or maynot alter planting operations based on the information displayed on theuser interface 48.

In some exemplary embodiments, a natural temperature differential mayexist between the seed temperature and the soil temperature and suchnatural temperature differential may be sufficient for detection by thesensors 76.

In other exemplary embodiments, a natural temperature differential maynot exist between the seed temperature and the soil temperature, or anatural temperature differential between the seed temperature and thesoil temperature may not be sufficient for detection by the sensors 76.In such exemplary embodiments, it may be desirable to heat or cool oneor both of the seeds 40 and/or the soil in order to create a sufficienttemperature differential that may be detected by the sensors 76. Inexemplary embodiments where seeds 40 are heated, the seeds 40 may beheated by a heater at a bottom of a central seed tank or a meter housingor, if the planter includes individual seed hoppers, the seeds 40 may beheated by a heater at a bottom of seed hoppers. In such exemplaryembodiments, one or more sensors 76 may be positioned to take atemperature reading of the seeds at or near a bottom of a central seedtank or meter housing, or at or near a bottom of the seed hoppers.

Referring now to FIG. 4, another exemplary system 20A for determiningsoil and seed characteristics and analyzing the same is illustrated. Thecomponents of the system 20A illustrated in FIG. 4 that are similar tocomponents of the system 20 illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 are identified withthe same reference number and an “A”.

The system 20A illustrated in FIG. 4 has many similarities to the system20 illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. At least one difference between system 20Aillustrated in FIG. 4 and system 20 illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 is that theagricultural device or planter 28A includes the processing unit 44A, thememory 52A, and the GPS 64A rather than the tractor 24A, which is thecase in system 20. With the processing unit 44A included in the planter28A, the planter electrical power source 68A may provide electricalpower to the processing unit 44A. Even with this difference, the system20A is capable of performing all the same functionality as the system 20illustrated in FIGS. 1-3.

It should be understood that the processing unit, the memory, the GPS,and any other components of the systems may be included on either thetractor or the planter and in any combination, and be within theintended spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, theplanter may include the processing unit and memory and the tractor mayinclude the GPS. Also, for example, the tractor may include theprocessing unit and the memory and the planter may include the GPS.

With reference to FIG. 5, another exemplary operation of the system 20will be described. In this exemplary operation, each row unit 32includes multiple sensors 76, with one sensor 76′ directed toward a top,uncut surface of the soil and a second sensor 76″ directed toward abottom of the cut furrow. The first sensor 76′ senses a temperature ofthe surface of the soil and the second sensor 76″ senses a temperatureat the bottom of the furrow. The processing unit 44 receives thesetemperatures and determines if a temperature differential exists betweenthe surface of the soil and the bottom of the furrow. The processingunit 44 may use this temperature differential to determine the moistureof the soil and system operation may be adjusted (e.g., adjust cuttingdepth) based on this determination.

It should be understood that the system 20 may include sensors 76 inlocations other than on the row units 32. For example, one or moresensors may be coupled to the planter 28 and one or more sensors may becoupled to the tractor 24. In addition, the system 20 may includesensors 76 on the row units and include one or more sensors on theplanter 28 and/or the tractor 24. In one exemplary embodiment, onesensor 76 may be coupled to each row unit 32 and one sensor may becoupled to the planter 28 or the tractor 24. The sensors 76 coupled tothe row units 32 may be directed downward toward the bottom of thefurrow to sense a furrow temperature and the sensor coupled to theplanter 28 or tractor 24 may be directed toward a surface of the uncutsoil to sense a soil surface temperature. The processing unit 44receives the temperature readings from the sensors, determines atemperature differential (if one exists), and determines soil moisturesat each row unit 32. Operation of the system 20 may be adjusted based onthe soil moistures.

The foregoing description has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit the invention to the precise form disclosed. The descriptions wereselected to explain the principles of the invention and their practicalapplication to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the inventionin various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. Although particular constructions of thepresent invention have been shown and described, other alternativeconstructions will be apparent to those skilled in the art and arewithin the intended scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A control and monitoring system for anagricultural planting system comprising a plurality of row units, thecontrol and monitoring system comprising: a processing unit; anelectronic sensor in communication with the processing unit and adaptedto sense a characteristic associated with seed planting, wherein thesensor generates a signal associated with the sensed characteristic andthe processing unit receives the signal; and a memory associated withthe processing unit, said memory storing a data pair comprising thesensed characteristic and a GPS position of the sensed characteristic,and wherein the data pair is used for analysis and later retrieval. 2.The control and monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising a userinterface in communication with the processing unit, the user interfaceadapted to display information associated with the sensedcharacteristic.
 3. The control and monitoring system of claim 2, whereinthe characteristic comprises a soil characteristic within a furrowcreated by a furrow opener associated with one of the plurality of rowunits.
 4. The control and monitoring system of claim 3, wherein thecharacteristic is one of a soil temperature or a soil moisture content.5. The control and monitoring system of claim 3, wherein thecharacteristic is both a soil temperature and a soil moisture content.6. The control and monitoring system of claim 2, wherein said signalbeing associated with planting a first seed and used to plant asubsequent seed.
 7. The control and monitoring system of claim 6,wherein said sensed characteristic comprises a soil characteristic. 8.The control and monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising a GPSsystem operatively connected to the processing unit and configured toposition to each characteristic with a GPS position.
 9. The control andmonitoring system of claim 8, wherein the memory is located remote ofthe agricultural planting system.
 10. The control and monitoring systemof claim 1, wherein the sensor is a first sensor, the characteristic isa first characteristic, and the signal is a first signal, theagricultural seed planting system further comprising a second sensoradapted to sense a second characteristic associated with seed planting,wherein the second sensor generates a second signal associated with thesensed second characteristic and communicates with the processing unitsuch that the processing unit receives the second signal, the secondsensor being an electronic sensor.
 11. The control and monitoring systemof claim 10, wherein the first sensor comprises: a. an infrared sensor,b. a laser sensor, c. a thermal imager, d. a visible wavelength imagingsensor, e. an ultrasonic sensor, f. a capacitive sensor, g. aphotoelectric sensor, h. a luminescence sensor, i. a contrast sensor, j.a video camera, k. a color sensor, or l. a laser distance sensor. 12.The control and monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the first andsecond characteristics are one of both soil characteristics or both seedcharacteristics.
 13. A method of planting seeds in a furrow in soil withan agricultural planter, the method comprising: sensing a firstcharacteristic at an uncut position of soil with an electronic sensor;sensing a second characteristic at a lower portion of the furrow in thesoil with a second electronic sensor; determining a difference in thefirst and second characteristics with a processing unit to compare thedifference with an accepted range; and storing the difference in amemory by way of a data pair comprising the difference and a GPSposition of the difference.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein theplanting operation comprises the depth of the furrow for planting seed.15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: generating a firstsignal associated with the sensed characteristic with the firstelectronic sensor; communicating the first signal to a processing unit;storing information associated with the first signal in the memory; andretrieving the information from the memory subsequent to storing theinformation.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: generatinga second signal associated with the sensed second characteristic withthe second electronic sensor; communicating the second signal to theprocessing unit; storing information associated with the second signalin the memory; and retrieving the information from the memory associatedwith both signals subsequent to storing the information.
 17. The methodof claim 16, wherein the difference is determined from the retrievedinformation.
 18. The method of claim 13, wherein the first sensorcomprises: m. an infrared sensor, n. a laser sensor, o. a thermalimager, p. a visible wavelength imaging sensor, q. an ultrasonic sensor,r. a capacitive sensor, s. a photoelectric sensor, t. a luminescencesensor, u. a contrast sensor, v. a video camera, w. a color sensor, orx. a laser distance sensor.
 19. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising displaying the difference on a user interface to manuallychange the planting operation.
 20. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising automatically changing the planting operation based upon thecharacteristics.